Since graduating from college last century, I've served in ministries to college students, children, the elderly, and youth. My heart's always been for youth, especially because I had really needed some mentors during my own teen years when I went through a time of questioning God, my faith, the meaning of life, and dealing with the death of a close friend. I even became a high school English teacher hoping to “make an impact” in the lives of young people (plus, I had a highly practical degree in English literature). After about 15 years of teaching, I left the classroom with a vision to start a library full of great books for the kids and the adult kids in our church, and to cultivate the love of reading in our increasingly digital world. Now I'm serving full-time in youth ministry, because the most awesome impact I could make for the next generation is to raise them up to be confident and passionate for Jesus!